Traveling and attending events during the holidays can make it hard to sit down to a normal family meal. Not only that, but when visiting and having meals with extended family, it’s easy to eat too much rich wonderful food. Often when I know we’ll be having a big dinner, we eat a late breakfast/early lunch – brunch. Last Saturday I made potato pancakes with sausage, gravy and kale Caesar salad for brunch.

If you search for kale on the Internet, you’ll find it provides numerous health benefits. I like the taste and that it holds up well when cooked, but most importantly it grows in my garden year round. I gathered, cleaned and chopped the kale into bite-sized pieces. I made a Caesar-type dressing with ½ cup olive oil, 1 smashed clove garlic, 2 anchovy fillets, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Using my immersion blender in a cup, I puréed the ingredients to make a smooth dressing.

Drizzle half the dressing over cubed crusty bread and bake in a 450-degree oven for a couple of minutes until browned. Toss the rest of the dressing with the kale and spread it over another baking sheet. Bake the kale for 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally. Don’t let it burn. Combine the kale and croutons in a bowl and sprinkle with grated parmesan and lemon juice. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the meal.

I seared the un-cooked sausage links on all sides and then turned the heat down and added a cup of chicken stock. Put a lid on the skillet and let the sausages cook through – depending on the size, about 20 minutes.

The potato pancakes were quick and easy. I grated 6 small red potatoes (skins on) with a box grater and dried them on paper towels. Then combine with 1 egg, ½ of a finely chopped onion, about 1 tablespoon each of flour and bread crumbs, and season with parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. By now the sausage should be done, so remove it from the skillet and reserve any liquid.

Heat a small amount of oil in the skillet and then drop 3-4 balls of the potato mixture in the skillet – be careful not to crowd. I ended up cooking three batches. Use a spatula to flatten the potato balls forming a pancake. Cook on each side for 5 minutes or until crispy and nicely browned.

For simple gravy in the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and stir in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook the flour until it turns a light brown and then add the reserved sausage liquid while stirring. Continue to stir and add milk or half-and-half. When a gravy forms, add salt and pepper to taste. Or for a lighter option, serve applesauce instead of gravy.